Sleeping mum smothers baby on jet

A mother accidentally smothered her baby to death after falling asleep while breastfeeding on an international flight.

The 29-year-old woman reportedly leaned forward onto her four-week-old daughter when she fell asleep on a United Airlines flight between Washington DC and Kuwait, the Daily Mail reported.

Crew heard the woman’s screams after she woke up about an hour later to find she had accidentally suffocated the baby.

The November 24 flight was diverted to Heathrow Airport, London, as a doctor tried unsuccessfully to revive the baby.

British police said it appeared the death was simply a tragic accident, as the Egyptian-born mother was travelling to Kuwait to show the girl to her family.

The UK Association of Breastfeeding Mothers has warned of the danger of sitting up while holding babies because of the risk of falling asleep.